Challenges & Opportunities for Native American Runners

The road into the Norbona Pass in the Navajo Nation’s Chuska Mountains of Northwest New Mexico climbs and falls between 7,500 and 9,000 feet. Each year on July 4th weekend runners converge here for the annual Norbona Pass 10K. Rated among the top 100 10K races in the country, the grueling race is a Native American showcase in the heart of the Navajo Reservation, or the “Rez,” as it is affectionately known.

At the staging area, runners are surrounded by family and friends in an intimate and comfortable country scene. Pickup trucks line the last 200 meters of the race where families gather to cookout among the pine tree-dotted registration and finish line area. The 400-plus participants are nearly all local, yet the field is very competitive: returning winner Brandon Leslie (pictured above) is the 1999 NCAA Division II 10,000m champion, and he will have company. Walking among the barbecue stands is a competitor wearing a t-shirt which sums up the entire experience: “RUNNING—AN INDIAN TRADITION!”

Running is not a modern phenomenon for Native Americans. Historically, Native American tribes have integrated running into their culture as a means of survival, recreation and religion. In Navajo cultural tradition, for example, the people run as the sun rises—part of their daily prayers, a welcoming of the new day.

Bruce Talawyma, a runner from the Hopi tribe, says, “Running is really a part of everything in traditional society. It was both a part of the daily life cycle—running to and from fields—and integral to the ceremonial dances throughout the year.” Young men would practice each evening, hoping to be chosen as the strongest runners to represent their clan in events such as the “stone kicking” races, where teams alternate kicking a shaped stone around a course of approximately seven miles, or to deliver an offering to the spirits at the sacred springs, sometimes up to 50 miles away. The best runners held a respected place as role models and representatives of the ideal in many tribal identities.

Despite this rich tradition, the success of today’s Native American runners often resemble the peaks and valleys of the Norbona Pass road. In the spirit of forerunners such as Jim Thorpe and Billy Mills, there are a few Native American runners who have distinguished themselves on the roads and the track. In addition to Leslie, of Navajo descent, Phillip Castillo (Acoma) placed 55th at the Olympic Marathon Trials with a time of 2:34, and Pam White (Navajo) is a six time NCAA Division II All-American and recipient of the 1999 “Giant Step” Award for courageous student athletes.

These few examples highlight the question: “If running is such an integral part of the culture, why aren’t there more than a handful of Native American runners competing on the elite level?” The barriers many of these runners face are, in large part, the result of societal and cultural factors which continue to affect many facets of reservation life.

High school is where the careers of many Native American runners peak, in contrast to nationally and internationally ranked runners who often peak in their late twenties or early thirties. “Many of our runners are not being prepared for college by reservation area schools,” says Mike Daney, the Head Coach at Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute (S.I.P.I.), a Native American Junior College in Albuquerque, NM. “Many teachers assume that Native American students will not go to college.”

Echoing Daney’s frustration is Mo Smith, a former standout runner at Adams State College in Alamosa, Colorado, and Executive Director of the Native American Sports Council. “‘Indian Country’ needs to do a better job of preparing coaches and athletes for the transition from secondary schools to post-secondary programs,” he says. “Contributing to this problem is not only the inherent geographic isolation associated with many schools but the overall lack of interest in track and field in school settings,” continues Smith.

Family and societal norms also encourage a different set of priorities. It is difficult for many non-Native Americans to fully appreciate the extent to which Native American culture values the family and community over the individual. The family influence is especially profound. “In many instances there may be three generations of family members living in one house,” says Daney. He feels that this family orientation does not always encourage self-sufficiency, citing the common understanding: “We’ll take care of you here in the family nucleus."

“This comfort zone is very difficult to leave,” says White. She feels female athletes have even more difficulty in this regard since they are also raised to carry much of the family responsibilities. In White’s case she had to help with five sisters and three brothers while training and going to school. “We have to work twice as hard,” says White.

In addition to family pressures, other cultural values can discourage runners from seeking personal success. “Culturally, some Native Americans are taught not to be overly competitive or desire to have a lot of personal material possessions,” says Daney. He further reflects that running, in particular, has a religious role, serving as a means of “self-sacrifice” in order to please the spirits for the well being of the community. The group thanks the runners for expending their efforts, given as an offering to honor life. In this light, using running for reaping personal rewards or recognition perverts its role and meaning.

Some Native American athletes, however, feel that the traditional culture may not be that influencial. Leslie, for example, says, “Most young Native Americans are not that ‘in touch’ with the culture. Many runners just don’t want to do the hard work needed to get to the next level of accomplishment beyond high school.”

Others appear to have a more critical explanation for the lack of Native Americans on the national or international running scene. “We’ve grown up on the reservation to be average,” says Castillo. This may be in large part to the depressed socio-economic environment which has persisted for over a century. When you’re not expected to accomplish anything, you have little incentive to strive for any goal. Castillo also expresses the concerns and jealousy associated with leaving the reservation for athletic and academic reasons. “I was looked down upon for leaving because I might be turned into a ‘non-Indian’ and lose my spiritualness,” he laments. “I thought I would see this from other races, but never my own.”

However these factors add up, one result is a palpable undercurrent among big time college coaches that Native American runners are recruiting liabilities, with a large percentage of athletes dropping out or transferring to junior college programs closer to their homes. Indeed, the NCAA reported in 1996 that Native American athletes had a graduation rate of 36% at Division I schools compared to a 56% overall rate for other students. “I felt I wasn’t recruited for some of the big Arizona colleges, because of this,” says White, who went on to distinguish herself at Division II Adams State.

What can be done to reverse these trends? The resounding sentiment of these accomplished runners is the need for positive role models that the youngsters can relate to. “There’s not enough visibility for the younger kids,” says Castillo, who makes a point to speak with young groups whenever asked. “One of the reasons many kids don’t take criticism well is because they never hear positive comments,” says White. She also feels that the reason many young athletes are reluctant to leave is the lack of exposure to life and competition off of the reservation.

“Native American runners have to understand that they may need to move out of their immediate communities and train in more competitive environments with more competitive runners if they expect to excel,” says Daney. He feels that this transition may often be difficult but not impossible. “Once you leave the community you need to learn a new set of values in terms of competing and time management.”

“Until our communities create opportunities for runners, they must go on to college in order to improve,” says Daney. Ironically, some of the biggest Native American colleges do not have track or cross country teams. Even Dine College, formerly known as Navajo Community College—the first tribally managed college in the country—has phased out its running programs.

At S.I.P.I., cross country and track are the only varsity sports. The school has been referred to as the “best dynasty you’ve never heard of,” says Daney, with an air of amusement. Since the program’s inception in 1991, they have produced four Junior College Marathon Team Championships, a Division II National Junior College Athletic Association Cross Country Championship, 10 individual national champions, and 34 Junior College All-Americans.

Various factors have been identified as contributing to the success of S.I.P.I. Not least is the fact that the program and institution address the anxiety many Native American students experience when attending college, oftentimes far removed from home. “In large part we’re an extension of the Native American community,” says Daney, who is from the Choktaw Nation in Oklahoma. “There are no inhibitions about being a Native American as might be expressed at other schools.”

Many coaches and athletes allude to the need to better foster the sport on the grass roots level and to develop the athlete through their careers. One organization which is doing this is the Native American Sports Council (NASC), which serves to “promote athletic excellence and wellness with Native American communities through sports programs which combine traditional Native American values with the values of the modern Olympics.”

The NASC has identified the need to re-establish a holistic balance of healthful activities for individuals, families and communities. NASC’s “Sports Warrior” program orients coaches and athletes to the reality of what it takes to be an accomplished competitor.

For athletes, such as White, who have elite potential, the NASC offers the Athlete Development and Assistance Program (ADAP). This program provides such individuals with exposure to opportunities offered by sport governing bodies and fosters the development of leadership role models for young Native Americans.

One of White’s leadership roles has been with Wings of America, a grass-roots organization that conducts running and fitness camps on the reservations.

Another guiding force is “Running Strong for American Indian Youth,” a program begun by Christian Relief Services in 1986 with gold medalist Billy Mills as their national spokesman. Mills is an advocate of the “warrior spirit,” personified in his hero Crazy Horse, which encourages young Native Americans to lead productive and healthy lives. The cornerstone of this “spirit” lies in self-responsibility, humility and the power to respect—especially oneself—all of which encompass the core of spirituality.

Leslie is one of the athletes that Mills has influenced. After a stellar high school career, Leslie was recruited by top Division I schools, but chose Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff because of its three hour proximity to home and the opportunity to train at high/low altitude. The transition to college, however, was too great. To the dismay of his family and supporters, Leslie’s career at NAU was short lived. He became academically ineligible, could not compete nor accept his scholarship, and faded out of the NAU scene after competing in only the indoor season of his freshman year. Returning to Gallup he fell into a period of drinking and depression. At 20 years old he had a son with his girlfriend. “I wasn’t happy with myself or my life,” he says.

Understanding the plight of the Native American runner through his own experiences, Mills, who personally knew Leslie from high school, was a significant driving force in his athletic and personal recovery. “Billy just told me that life gets hard and that when you get over the obstacles things get better—like they are now,” says Leslie. “Him being a Native American and understanding my situation helped me a lot.”

Integrating his heritage with a new discipline and focus, Leslie enrolled at S.I.P.I and resumed running, in a big way—winning National Junior College Division II Championships in Cross Country (5 miles) in 25:24, the indoor 5,000m in 14:38, outdoor 10,000m with a time of 29:29, and the marathon in 2:34.35. Going on to Adams State, he has continued to excel at the national level, culminating in his 10,000m national championship.

Although the number of success stories may not be representative of the talent pool, Daney, for one, expresses a reserved hope. “I’m an eternal optimist,” he says. “Nobody ever wanted to address many of these issues, but now they are.” And while he feels that many of the impressions of Native American academics and athletics have not changed much from his college days of the mid-1970s, he is encouraged that there are increased opportunities for Native American student athletes: “At least our athletes now have choices.”

Joe Kolb is an Adjunct Instructor in the Physical Education Department at the University of New Mexico-Gallup Campus and the medical coordinator with USA Track & Field New Mexico.